Cumberland Church

Who we are and what we believe.

We are part of a denomination by the name of Cumberland Presbyterian Church, originating in Tennessee in 1810.  While we certainly view the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbyterian Church of America as fellow servants of Christ, we are not organizationally affiliated with either of those Presbyterian denominations.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is rooted firmly in Calvinistic teaching, with the exception being our rejection of the doctrine of predestination. Instead, we believe God invites every person to repentance and discipleship; each person has the opportunity to accept or reject that offer and must make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for personal salvation.

The Confession of Faith presents our full doctrinal statement (available by clicking on the link); and it is also available upon request in book form in the church office. We claim nearly 100,000 members in eighteen states, as well as Columbia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Liberia
 

Baptism

We baptize adults and youth upon professions of faith, and the young children of professing Christian parents as a sign of God's covenant of grace with them and us. As such, the sacrament of baptism compares to circumcision in the Old Testament.  Like circumcision, baptism is done in obedience and is a mark of the individual being included in the family of God and of His children.  We believe that young children do not need baptism for salvation; they aren't old enough to be accountable for their sin.  In fact, we also believe that baptism of the believer does not "save" him or her; salvation comes by grace, through a profession of faith.  So those baptized as infants and young children must, at an appropriate time, accept Christ as Lord and Savior and thereby affirm and validate that baptism as their own.

While we accept, and occasionally practice, other modes of baptism, we believe sprinkling represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Communion

We celebrate this sacrament on the first Sunday of the month in our 8:30 and 11:00 services and are considering having communion available each Sunday during the 9:45 service.

We practice open communion and invite everyone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to participate, regardless of church affiliation.

During our Coffee House service, we typically come forward to take a piece of communion bread and dip it in the common cup of juice.  In our Classic Worship Service, our usual way of receiving the Lord's Supper is eating the bread and drinking the cup at your seat as they are passed to you.  During the Cumberland Praise service, Communion will be available for families, small groups and individuals to partake of communion as part of the worship experience.

Our belief is that the bread and cup do not become the body and blood of Christ nor do they take on a spiritual essence during the communion service. Rather, we affirm that the risen Christ is spiritually present during our observance and that He nourishes, strengthens, and encourages us during the Lord's Supper as we remember His sacrifice on the cross and examine ourselves in the light of His grace.
 

Membership

Our congregation is on a mission to seek, nurture and equip people to be committed disciples of Jesus Christ.  Therefore we are always ready to receive guests, visitors, friends and family members whom God is calling to serve Him with us.  The Kingdom of God is much bigger than our congregation; but our congregation is a component of the Kingdom of God.  Membership in our congregation is not necessary for entrance into heaven, but membership, for us, does mean we share a common covenant with one another to seek nurture and equip people.  Membership is a path to leadership and the achievement of our mission requires an ever-increasing cadre of leaders of missions, outreaches and ministries.

Those whom God is calling and who wish to join us can do so through: 

1) A profession of faith in Christ (and baptism if needed) - This is for the child, youth or adult who has never made a public confession of commitment to Christ.  This profession of Christ, by faith, is an act of receiving the grace of God for forgiveness of sin and for our place in the family of God.  It is through this act of faith that salvation comes to the believer.  The person doing this is actually "joining" two groups: a) the Kingdom of God by receiving eternal life, and b) the Cumberland Presbyterian Church as the "home base" or "branch office" were one can be nurtured, equipped for service.

2) By transfer of membership from another congregation; upon transfer, we will ask you to reaffirm, for us to hear, your faith in Jesus Christ - we have no interest in "sheep-stealing" as some call the act of encouraging someone to leave another church and join this one.  But, we also recognize that there are scores of great congregations in this city with varieties of personalities and unique calls into mission.  There will always be shifting of membership from a place of under-utilization to a place where one's gifts can be fully employed.  If a member of another congregation finds that their spiritual gifts and personality match our opportunities for service better than where they currently worship, we would certainly entertain the possibility of getting plugged in here.  Those who transfer here are encouraged to meet with the leadership of their current congregation and seek to bless that congregation and be blessed by that congregation in their move.  Many churches in Lubbock are not in competition with each other - pastors really want their sheep to be in a place where their gifting  and opportunities for service are optimized. 

3) By reaffirmation of faith, for the person who has followed the Lord before, but has drifted away from the Lord or for the person who is following the Lord but not currently affiliated with f fellowship of believers. - While "reaffirmation" can be a renewed declaration of faith before God, it also means to state again, for our benefit, your confession of faith.  Either way, it is a new beginning it partnered ministry with us.

The profession and reaffirmation of faith is important as found in Romans 10:9 "That you confess with your lips the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead."

In our church government, the elders officially receive new members at a called meeting or at the next regular meeting.  Therefore, if they are not already acquainted with you, they will want to become acquainted with you asap.  Elders and other members would like to greet you immediately following the service.   Although not as common, members can also be received during an elders' meeting (we call it a meeting of the session).  The membership will be announced at the next weekend worship services.

Style of Worship

Our worship services follow traditional Presbyterian practices. We're not required to use a certain liturgy or prayer book, but attempt to blend liturgical and free worship.

We believe true worship involves our participation in praise, prayer, music, scripture reading, and expressions of faith. We follow the Christian calendar: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Pentecost.